The present invention relates to exercise equipment, and more specifically, to methods and apparatus for absorbing energy associated with exercise movement.
One of many factors to be considered in the design of exercise equipment is energy absorption. On treadmills, for example, impact is created each time a person""s foot lands on the tread and/or deck. In the absence of an energy absorption system, the impact rebounds into the person""s foot and may injure the person""s joints. In recognition of this potential problem with treadmills, equipment designers have developed systems to absorb or dissipate the impact so that it does not rebound into the exerciser""s feet and legs. Examples of such systems are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,350,336 to Hanford and U.S. Pat. No. 5,382,207 to Skowronski et al., for example. Despite many such advances in the art, room for improvement remains.
The present invention provides an improved energy absorbing system for exercise equipment. On a preferred embodiment, the system involves disposition of a variable amount of energy absorbing material in series between a treadmill deck and an underlying floor surface. Many features and/or advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description which follows.